The invention relates to a method of sealing off a vaporization chamber provided in a soleplate of a steam iron by means of a cover, and to a soleplate for use in such a method and to apparatus for carrying out the method.
In electric steam irons operating by the drip principle, the steam producing chamber in which water is converted from the liquid to the vapor phase and the associated steam channel system are provided in the electrically heated soleplate of the iron. The water drips out of the water tank into the steam producing chamber. The wet steam formed therein is subjected to superheating in steam channels. The steam emerges from the soleplate of the iron out of ports or steam escape holes leading from the steam channels. By additionally injecting water into the steam producing chamber, into separately provided chambers, or directly into the steam channels, extra steam can be generated in various types of irons. The entire steam producing chamber and steam channel areas of the soleplate of the iron in which steam is generated and superheating occurs is commonly referred to as the vaporization chamber.
The soleplate of the iron is generally die-cast from aluminum. After the soleplate of the iron has been formed, it is subjected to further working processes before the soleplate can be assembled with the other individual components to form a steam iron. One of the individual processes is the closing off of the vaporization chamber by means of a cover.
It is known to close off the vaporization chamber of a steam iron with a cover. For this purpose, the upper surface of the outer wall of the vaporization chamber of the soleplate, which will later be joined to the cover of the vaporization chamber, is normally subjected to a special surface machining. Then, before the cover of the chamber is put on, a special sealing composition is applied to the sealing surfaces of the walls of the vaporization chamber and the cover is connected to the soleplate by means of screws or rivets. These very laborious working steps are of particular importance since, for reasons of safety in operation, no steam must escape from the vaporization chamber during use of the steam iron except through the ports, whereby no moisture is allowed to penetrate into the interior of the iron.